


Love like Fear

by Crypterion_Moon



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Creepy, Dark, Eldritch, Eyes, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Madness, Mind Break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 15:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17983469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crypterion_Moon/pseuds/Crypterion_Moon
Summary: Kon comes home everyday to spend the rest of the day to be with his beautiful partner, Tim. Unbeknownst to him Tim has been counting down every day, every hour and minute, every second ticks away at the back of his thoughts, slowly unravelling. Their relationship is slowly decaying but Kon doesn't know it yet, Tim decides, it's time he knew the truth.





	Love like Fear

When Kon comes home, he is usually greeted by a clingy Tim. And he loves every second of it. Tim hated it when he left for something as massive as a mass monster take down, after spending most of the day nursing Kon back to health the last time he got called on one like this. Thankfully, today, he manages to get away with a few scrapes and that’s it. Tim would be pleased but today Tim wasn’t at the door.  
Tim rarely attended now, preferring to work behind the scene the way Bab's keeps tabs on Gotham. It was like she had eyes all over Gotham and Kon found that Tim was just as skilled as she was. But he missed having his boyfriend out on the field with him but Tim seemed so reluctant to go out, nearly shaking at the thought of it. Like he was sure something would go wrong if he was there. No amount of reassurance would convince him otherwise, though it was strange, like with everything else, Kon accepted it graciously and Tim made his appreciation apparent. 

“Tim?” he called out, kicking off his shoes, Tim hated it when he trecked dirt into the apartment, he was beyond a clean freak, like dirt and mud terrified him. It was kind of amusing to see a grown man like him scolding Kon while furiously scrubbing away at the floors and walls like a madwoman in pink gloves. Right now, he needed a shower after that literal monster bash, he'd cleared off most of the slime but he’s pretty sure he smells like a trainwreck and Tim would tell him for sure. But first-

“Tim, I’m home.”

He better not be in one of his bad moods, Kon thought, whether it be a failed case or a mission gone wrong or just lack of coffee, once it starts, it’s nearly the hardest thing to deal with, making Tim come out of his downs was nearly as bad as beating down an alien army invasion. It had been getting a bit worse lately. Tim had been down in the dumps more oft. More distant, gazing out over the sky and city, transfixed and sad. He'd come back down though, nearly after a few hours and apologize to Kon repeatedly.  
Kon had chalked it up to his broken childhood and his time at the Waynes, though he's not sure what they did, it seemed to have affected him psychologically, but Tim always said they were kind, kinder than anyone he'd asked help from before, then fell silent after that. Unnerving, and he had his suspicions but Kon was sure he'd come clean eventually.

He stepped past the kitchen and into the second hallway.Sometimes, Tim would be trying to cook, unsuccessfuly, somehow it always resulted in some kind of unidentifiable pile of goo. It took a whole load of willpower for Kon not to crack a smile much less laugh while Tim pouted at his latest culinary failure. In all honesty, Kon was no better, so if they didn’t have one of Alfred’s special drop-offs, they’d order take out. Tim could eat a horse that’s for sure which shocked and awed Kon to no end with how Tiny Tim could keep his name.  
Speaking of which, he'd barely heard from the old man recently, something about having to tend to his family, not that he had ever seen them. Gotham was a strange place and everytime he'd tried to ask Dick about it, he'd grit his teeth and say it wasn't anything he needed to know. Kon was sure he was lying because he was raised by Alfred with the Waynes in Gotham but he seemed intent on keeping quiet about it.

“Tim?”

Where is he? This places wasn’t huge, not like the Wayne manor or the Tower, Tim must have surely heard him. Kon was almost sure Tim isn’t listening then, he already has a list of things prepared to make Tim feel better, including the most indulgent coffee he knows how to make and marshmallows, probably his tenth cup in a day but Kon wasn't about to question his tolerance. But he’s searched nearly every room now, their bedroom, the bathroom and the little office Tim had carved out for himself to work in. There weren’t that many places to hide so where could he be? He couldn’t have gone out could he? Kon tries to call his boyfriend’s cell. It rings from the bedroom, the same generic ringtone modified ‘to parody his life’ as Tim described it.

He didn’t take his phone, that’s odd. There’s a heavy feeling now, Kon could feel it setting in his stomach. His mind began to run through all the possibilites in his head the way Tim always does. Tim and his uncanny ability to project ahead, always steps ahead. The first thing that popped into his mind then was, someone had broken in. He’s scared for Tim. He shouldn't be Tim can take care of himself but he's more fragile than Kon at the same time.

“Tim, Tim, where are you?” he called out repeatedly, “Tim?”

The phone was still ringing, his call hadn’t been disconnected yet even though, the phone usually auto disconnects a few seconds after an attempt, but he doesn’t care about that. The sound of Tim’s phone itself was holding him together as he went over every nook and cranny even impossible spaces he knew Tim would find away to squeeze into, he doesn’t notice as it changes slowly, distorts. Until he finally did and it’s glaring now. It’l like someone made a music box out of the ringtone and then ran it over and over again until it broke and rusted over, the noise was now terrifying. Something that sounded like a groan could be heard between the twisted notes. He disconnected but it didn’t stop, so Kon rushed into the bedroom, find the phone and make it stop, make it stop, the parody was turning into a nightmare.

He stopped in his tracks, just in the doorway. Tim is there, standing on the other side of the room, on the other side of the bed, his back was turned to Kon. Looking out of the window. Tim wasn’t there a minute ago, Kon checked.

“Hey Kon.” His voice made him real, made him there even if it made no sense at all, and that was all Kon cared about for the moment.

“Tim, my god I thought…”

“I’m sorry, I heard you but I…” Tim turned around, he looked so sad, his eyes blue, so blue, more than any other time Kon had the pleasure of staring into. Tim looked away for a moment then turned back to Kon.

“I wasn’t ready.”

“What’s wrong, Tim, tell me what’s bothering you, you can tell me anything.”

"Can I Kon?"

"Of course you can, you need to get whatever it is off your chest to feel better."

Tim smiled, but it was a sad one, “You always make me feel better, but I can’t make you feel better.”

“No, that’s not true, just seeing you makes my whole world light up. I can spend a whole week fighting slimes aliens, covered to toe in crap but just hearing your voice makes me feel I can keep going, even if it’s you scolding me for trekking dirt into our apartment again.”

Tim chuckled a little, but it’s enough to make Kon grin. He reached out, Tim would probably kill him later but he wanted nothing more than to hold Tim, feel him in his arms. Tim’s smile drops.

“I can’t Kon, today is the last,” Tim said, the sun setting behind him, it would be beautiful if only Tim could smile.

“Sorry about the ringtone, I fixed it so it would remind me.”

“Remind you of what?”

“Of today.”

“What’s going on, Tim?” Kon swallowed the lump in his throat, something feels wrong, so, so wrong.

“I wanted to tell you sooner, I wanted it to last longer, to be human again.”

Kon is stunned, the words coming out of his mouth made no sense, even though they were English, the meaning behind them was jumbled and out of context, and quite frankly it was freaking him out. Tim was the one who moved closer, around the bed to face Kon.

“I never was what you thought I was, Kon, maybe at one point I, but that…was a long time ago. Today, is the last day I get to enjoy that with you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“After tonight, I’ll be gone, you won’t see me ever again, and you never will want to, you shouldn’t.”

It was like a gut-punch, like Tim’s gut-punches but worse because he felt it in his mind, his words, his heart. But it made no sense, Tim, the logical one was making no sense.

“Tim…” Kon would’ve reached out, he was so close but Tim got to him first, wrapping his arms around him suddenly, embracing Kon like his life depended on it. Holding him in a dying man’s grip.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Tim whispered feverishly until his voice was so low no human would’ve heard the next words he was saying, and those words frightened Kon so much he nearly threw Tim to the ground. Instead, he gets his hands on Tim’s arms and held him back, to stare into his eyes. He doesn’t believe it. Not one second of it.

“It’s already coming to an end isn’t it?”

“Tim…”

"Cover your ears, Kon."

The man he loves took a step back, takes another and another, his arm is still outstretched brushing along Kon’s as he moved away, until he’s so far back the already dimming sun could barely reach him. Those blue eyes were shining, shining so brightly. Tim, Tim, Ti- Uro- Tima-sh….

Tim stopped him, “Don't say, don't say that name, please.”  
Blue tears falling, "Please Kon, look away." 

He doesn't instead, he watched the man before him fall apart, literally. What should’ve been his silhouette expands and writhes, he could still see Tim’s face. Those sad, sad eyes, crying out a siren song, dying bird, leading trails of screams that should never be followed, one that should never be seen or mentioned. The bounadaries of his mind creaked and groaned like a dam against the unending black around him, the whispers that echoed around like a chant. 

_Let the sleeper awaken, and eternity take place...return, return, return, tear the veil...Sleep unto death...death unto eternity, no witness, out of sight...don't listen...cover your eyes, ears...look away...look away..._

"LOOK AWAY!" 

Those words came out in an inhuman shriek that in all of his years of fighting monsters, nothing was more terrifying, like claws and nails raking across iron and rust and glass, loud and piercing, and Kon was forced to screw his eyes shut, the terror now bending his mind like a reed. But shutting his eyes didn't make it any less, as the sounds that reached his ears now had no substance to it, nothing solid to ground or makes sense to them, he tried to cover his ears to no avail and he cursed his superhuman hearing. Only Tim's voice carried him through, what humanity was left in it.

“Thank you, for letting me come back down, to be human even just a lttle while, I’ll never forget you,” Tim’s voice…was changed, “One day, I will carve your name and you will forever remain.”

He struggled with the last human words he could muster, “I love you.”

He shouldn't be able to see with his eyes shut tight, but he could. So many eyes, so many many eyes, yet none of them were looking straight at him, they looked outward and at nothing and everything. The deafening beating of a heart echoed around Kon and the all consuming darkness, he realized was not night, it was just, dark. Gotham is a dark, dark place.

He wanted to curl up, and shut down, but the words, Tim’s voice came together in a twisted melody, that horrible horrible distorted ringtone was going again, adding fuel to the nightmare. When he finally opened his eyes, the lights had flickered on and it was eight in the evening, Tim's phone still ringing with that dumb sounding jingle he'd loved so much. He was alone, rocking back and forth.


End file.
